Debbie Reynolds shares her roles of a lifetime

Last year, Reynolds reflected on her work with USA TODAY. After a celebrated career that lasted more than 65 years, Reynolds had one screen character she related to the most — the indomitable, outspoken heroine of 1964's The Unsinkable Molly Brown.

"I feel akin to that character who says, 'I ain't down yet,' " said Reynolds in 2015, ahead of her Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. 4/1/32"In life, I'm like Molly Brown. I've had tough times along the way and gone through experiences that many women have gone through. But I ain't down yet."

She's so not down that she'll receive the 2015 Life Achievement Award at Sunday's 21st annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (TNT and TBS, 8 p.m. ET/5 PT), Prior to receiving the award, presented in January 2015 presented by her daughter, actress Carrie Fisher, Reynolds shared memories of some of her greatest film roles.

"I fooled them all, I'm still alive to accept this award," says Reynolds. "I've been fortunate to have been in some great movies with some very good roles."

Here are our picks:

Singin' in the Rain (1952): The musical shot 20-year-old Reynolds into stardom in her most universally beloved role alongside Gene Kelly.

"It's the best role in the best film that I've been a part of," saidsays Reynolds at the time. "I was lucky to be in that picture."

On set, Kelly was demanding and worked Reynolds "to the toenail."

"Gene Kelly was one of the greatest dancers of all time and a taskmaster," saidsays Reynolds. "He sought from you the absolute best — and he got it."

The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964): Reynolds was "mesmerized" watching the tale of rags-to-socialite Molly Brown in a Broadway production. She jumped on the movie production when Shirley MacLaine had to drop out because of other commitments.

"It was like an act of God I got the role," saidsays Reynolds. "You just never give up. You do a task to the best of your abilities and beyond. That was Molly Brown and that's Debbie."

Reynolds was overjoyed to receive her first and only Oscar nomination for the role and was "devastated" when she lost to Julie Andrews for Mary Poppins.

How the West Was Won (1962): Reynolds starred alongside Gregory Peck and a host of iconic stars in this epic tale of Westward Expansion and survival — Henry Fonda, James Stewart, John Wayne, Karl Malden.

"You couldn't believe your eyes to be in such a monumental cast, with all these huge stars," saidsays Reynolds. "It was bigger than life."

Bundle of Joy (1956): The musical comedy is most famous for the off-screen drama with her co-star and husband Eddie Fisher, who infamously would divorce Reynolds to marry Elizabeth Taylor in 1959. Reynolds said says the set was trying with Fisher's mercurial temperament and her pregnancy with Carrie.

"It was all new to me. I had never been a wife or a pregnant woman. The whole experience was extremely difficult," said says Reynolds. "But I did a good production on that film: I had Carrie."

Mother (various): The outspoken Reynolds has developed made a specialty playing offbeat mothers onscreen, alongside Albert Brooks in 1996's Mother and on the sitcom Will & Grace (1999 to 2006) as Debra Messing's screen mom.

But the most famous is her true-life role as Carrie Fisher's mother, the subject of Fisher's semi-autobiographical novel and 1990 film Postcards From the Edge.

"It was her story. It was not my story," saidsays Reynolds. "We've had our ups and downs, and we survived it all."